I was asked to help change a tube in a 1923 Essex tire. I have never seen an Essex, much less opened a tire. Does anyone here know about an Essex? Are the wheels like the Model T? He is going to bring the wheel or tire and rim to my shop next Thursday. Thanks in advance!

The Essex wheels are much like the later Model T wheels with the demountable rims.

The four cylinder Essex was a really great car. The motor was a powerful F-head and the cars will do expressway speeds easily. I once rode in a 1919 model that was pretty well trashed and it would still cruise easily at 60 mph on the freeway. They proved so popular that Hudson sold three or four Essex cars for every Hudson they sold. Essex was the car that popularized the closed car. They were the first closed car to sell for less that the open models.

I have never worked on an Essex. I would think the wheels and clincher tires are the same as Ford, Chevvy, Overland, Peugeot and others. The Essex, also known as AssAches, was Hudson's cheaper car to compete with the model T, where as the Terraplane was a fast sportier car. I never did know much about either of them but there are still a few Essex cars sitting around that look to be in good original condition.

As for the Nash at Turdlock, it won't be there. I am loading up my black Aerostar with stuff to sell instead. Stop by and see us at J100.

The Terraplane (Terrible Pain) replaced the Essex as Hudson's low priced model early in the great depression. Sadly for Hudson, the Terraplane never sold as well as the Essex it replaced and Hudson lost a lot of market share during the 1930s. The Terraplane name was gone by the end of the decade.

A good friend of mine currently has six, four cylinder Essex cars including a 1919 that was one of the first 500 cars built. No, it doesn't have two pedals and two levers. (grin)

The construction of the wheels on the Essex are similar to the split-rim type wheels used by Ford starting in mid-1925 with the exception of size. They are larger.

If possible, you might want to have a rim jack handy. Those things really do make tire changing easy, in my opinion.

My friend recently bought a nicely restored '23 Coach (two door). When the shipper dropped it off at his house, he found that a previous owner had replaced the original rims, tires, and wheels with later 6 cyl. wheels that used 4.50 x 21 tires and rims.

Having so many 4 cyl. Essex cars and parts, he already had the correct wheel set for his new car. I'll give you one guess as to who gets the near-new 4.50 x 21 Firestone tires and tubes!

21 inch model T rims are easy. I usually use a screwdriver and wear boots to kick with. Not even bother with the rim jack even though I have had two of them for many years. Once in awhile, I will get a rim that does not want to go together. Other car's rims, even of similar size, tend to be heavier and you do not really want to try to do them without a rim jack. However, I have done them without. Drive carefully, and enjoy, W2

Interesting info Paul. I never heard the term TerriblePain I guess because there were so few in western Wisconsin. When I was in grade school(a one room country school) the next school was closed down and the state paid for bussing those students from their home to our school. The 'bus' was a Terraplane four door sedan with chromed flex headers sticking out the sides into the fenders. It really looked sporty. That was the only Terrapain I remember ever seeing.